South America Directory of Tips, Stories, and Advice

San Pedro de Atacama Tours – Sand Boarding at Night

I arrived in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile with a sense of coming home. It was warm, there were cacti, and it smelled like the desert. Essentially it felt like home.

After stashing my bags and taking my first shower in three days, I set off to see what activities could be had in the area. The consensus seemed to me more lakes, more geysers, and sandboarding. While the lakes in South America are beautiful, I’ve had my fill of staring at bodies of water that inevitably all end up looking the same.

The geysers involved getting up around three in the morning.

Sandboarding it was.

Prior to having our backpack stolen in Peru, we thought the country would be one of the more tourist friendly and safest in the region.

This opinion came to be because, as travelers, we’re constantly bombarded with the fact that so many destinations around the world are considered “unsafe.” Nearby countries like Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia all have this connotation blasted regularly, and not a day goes by where you hear warnings to travelers in the region. Ask any random person why they wouldn’t want to visit, and odds are good the first thing they’re going to say is “it isn’t safe” regardless of if they know why or not.

Peru, on the other hand, is relatively quiet in this respect and seemingly gives the perception as being a destination safe for all visitors. With ad campaigns blasting left and right, the tourist board and other agencies do a very good job at making Peru the must visit destination in South America. Where so much negativity comes out from other nearby countries, Peru seems to be that shining beacon calling visitors from far away to enjoy a safe and wonderful holiday in an otherwise lesser-traveled region of the world.

Sadly, this projection is simply not true.

Peru is no better than the rest in terms of safety for both locals and visitors alike, and this disconnect is very troubling to us.

For those who know me, you should know that I love chocolate.

My addiction has little to no limits and when I visit a country known for its chocolate, I’ll go all out. In knowing this, it should be no surprise that our recent trip to Ecuador ended up with us trying over 20 chocolate bars during our exploration of the country.

After trying some of the country’s best, we also purchased another 50 to send home for later consumption.

Out of all of the brands that we tried, there was one that we knew we were not giving a fair shake: Republica del Cacao. We could only try a few bars from this particular company as, by Ecuadorian standards (and even some American standards for premium chocolate), they are a bit pricey at upwards of $6 per bar.

Well, it turns out that Republica del Cacao read our review, and asked if we would be interested in trying some more bars to give their chocolate a second chance. Being a chocolate addict, it was hard to say no.

In our fourth and final Hilton credit card points redemption for this trip, we decided to splurge in our final city in South America.

Although some of our redemption choices in the past were for more stylish hotels, the Hilton Cartagena in Colombia was calling to us in order to recover after our six month journey around the continent. With 120,000 points and two weekend certificates remaining in our accounts, we were able to exchange these for five-nights in an Executive room (after our gold status upgrade) worth $279/night.

As in the case of our previous stays, we have to ask one question: was the property worth our points?

San Pedro de Atacama Tours – Sand Boarding at Night

Is Peru Safe? A Different Kind of Perspective on This Popular Country

Republica del Cacao Chocolate Tasting – An Ecuadorian Treat

Hilton Cartagena Review – 5 Much Needed Nights